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A wonderful trip to Hong Kong in 2011 to see Birmingham Royal Ballet performing Hobson's Choice.

The opening night in 2011 of Northern Ballet's Cleopatra in Leeds ... such a special night.

The best performance I have ever seen of The Dream (Chi Cao and Nao Sakuma) in April 2012 in Munich.

A Saturday night in Norwich in 2012 when Northern Ballet's lovely dancers set my friend and I up during the encore of I Got Rhythm and most of them came down from the stage to hug us (and everyone else they could reach). David Nixon told us later that they had asked permission to set us up.

The experience of Northern Ballet's "Sponsor A Dancer" scheme and the superb events we were invited to as sponsors.

Seeing a performance of Northern Ballet's Madame Butterfly in Blackpool when I celebrated a significant birthday and so many of my friends came to celebrate with me ... and then the company being in Liverpool the same week ... bliss.

The first preview night of Akram Khan's Giselle in Manchester - Tamara Rojo and James Streeter - absolutely unforgettable. (As has been all the other performances I have seen since.)

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Thanks so much, Alison, for adjusting the font size in my post above ☺ I am on phone only at the moment and anything that I write comes up as either too small or too large (eg this post) in font size, even if I change to another font type.

the 'previous generation' of RB dancers: Cojocaru, Kobborg, Rojo, Benjamin especially and the sadly short but wondrous period of Polunin as an RB dancer

the 'new generation' of RB dancers, including Osipova - especially Muntagirov, Hayward, Campbell, Sambé and so many others

someone who spans the two 'generations': Sarah Lamb, the most exquisite, beautiful, moving dancer

Akram Khan's Giselle, ENB

Akram Khan dancing anything

Lest We Forget, ENB 2015

BRB Giselle 2019

Rojo's directorship at ENB (though it also marked something of a lowlight given her loss to the RB repertoire and less frequent performances)

the live screenings of performances - brilliant initiative

Kevin O'Hare's directorship of the RB (with some reservations, but in general I think he does an excellent job)

Hofesh Shechter - Political Mother, 2010

the MacMillan Celebration at the ROH 2017 - the leading UK companies sharing the ROH stage, especially Northern Ballet in Gloria

David Bintley's knighthood

reaching my personal landmark of 1,000 live ballet/dance performances earlier this year

and last but definitely not least: joining this Forum in 2015 - it has completely re-booted my ballet-going (I went to 8 performances in 2010 compared to 38 (plus live screenings) in 2019 - almost back to the heights of my early years of ballet-going!) and the stimulation, learning and entertainment it gives me all the time. So a huge THANK YOU to all the members and moderators!

the 'previous generation' of RB dancers: Cojocaru, Kobborg, Rojo, Benjamin especially and the sadly short but wondrous period of Polunin as an RB dancer

the 'new generation' of RB dancers, including Osipova - especially Muntagirov, Hayward, Campbell, Sambé and so many others

someone who spans the two 'generations': Sarah Lamb, the most exquisite, beautiful, moving dancer

Akram Khan's Giselle, ENB

Akram Khan dancing anything

Lest We Forget, ENB 2015

BRB Giselle 2019

Rojo's directorship at ENB (though it also marked something of a lowlight given her loss to the RB repertoire and less frequent performances)

the live screenings of performances - brilliant initiative

Kevin O'Hare's directorship of the RB (with some reservations, but in general I think he does an excellent job)

Hofesh Shechter - Political Mother, 2010

the MacMillan Celebration at the ROH 2017 - the leading UK companies sharing the ROH stage, especially Northern Ballet in Gloria

David Bintley's knighthood

reaching my personal landmark of 1,000 live ballet/dance performances earlier this year

and last but definitely not least: joining this Forum in 2015 - it has completely re-booted my ballet-going (I went to 8 performances in 2010 compared to 38 (plus live screenings) in 2019 - almost back to the heights of my early years of ballet-going!) and the stimulation, learning and entertainment it gives me all the time. So a huge THANK YOU to all the members and moderators!

Bridiem, I absolutely love your list, what a way to remember the decade!

I'm a bit confused though about a lowlight being the prominence of Mcgregor when the first ballet you put as a decade highlight is Woolf Works?

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Bridiem, I absolutely love your list, what a way to remember the decade!

I'm a bit confused though about a lowlight being the prominence of Mcgregor when the first ballet you put as a decade highlight is Woolf Works?

I can totally understand this. Woolf Works is a diamond in the dust, as it were. Whereas I would go to see this ballet over and over again, the only other ones of his that I would bother seeing again are Chroma (although even that has lost a bit of its lustre for me) and Infra. Obsidian Tear is fine, but the rest...that dust would be kicked up as I ran!

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Thanks Sim and Bridiem, that makes sense and I now understand your respective perspective about Mcgregor.

I found Woolf Works to be the absolute highlight of the decade, in terms of new work seen on the RB stage, and completely agree with Bridiem that it was utterly thrilling.

I understand why some audience members find some of Mcgregor's dance vocabulary challenging or unappealing, and some of his works haven't been my cup of tea at all which definitely made me want to up and leave (eg. Live Fire) but I wonder if Mcgregor hadn't been given such prominence, whether WW would have seen the light of the day? I'm glad it did in any event, and I'll take the dust to get to this particular diamond which has moved me as much as the RJs/Manons/SLs etc.

The fact that he has been capable of a diverse dance vocabulary is also interesting, and hopefully means he can produce more work in the future that is as breathtaking as WW. Who knows unless he is given a chance? Bring on the next decade to see what he and other choreographers have in store!

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- Benjamin Millepied's ballets. Every time I see one, I sleep. Have no idea why he still gets so many commissions.

Millipied's ballets - I remember doing a photo call for one of his back in the day (at Sadlers Wells), and being utterly unimpressed during the rehearsal - yet got some rather good photos of the dancers from it. Sum of parts vs the whole, I reckon. So perhaps people commissioning in the hope one day the sum of parts will finally exceed, etc

Have to say I really enjoyed Jane Eyre though (if its the Cathy Marston one). Which just goes to show how subjective choreographic work can be, in both these examples, when looked at by others.

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Returning to the Royal Ballet in 2014 after some years and being astonished by Francesca Hayward’s Clara and then seeing her career blossom, along with those of Yasmine Naghdi and Anna-Rose O’Sullivan. Keven O’Hare’s nurturing of so many talented ex Royal Ballet School pupils has been wonderful.

Seeing Alina Cojocaru still dancing Aurora - she was our favourite when working in London and able to get to performances.

Natalia Osipova’s Giselle.

Being privileged to see Laura Morera in so many fabulous performances - Manon, Mary Vetsera, Anastasia (and a shout for all 3 Acts please), Tatiana, Fille, Song of the Earth, Masha, Lady Elgar to name a few.

The Insight Programme and how it is often broadcast.

Seeing more of the Royal Ballet School in class and in their annual performances.

Not providing decent synopses - they really need improvement and should have been tackled as part of Open Up. Choreographers/dramaturges need to be properly managed.

Being too centre stalls/grand tier focused when designing productions - production teams need to see what the production looks like from restricted view seats and make compromises so that more of the audience can see what’s happening on stage.

ROH Senior Management’s ability to score own goals, particularly the handling of the Baker Richards consultancy, not restricting tickets when there is huge demand, and not being prepared to answer questions.

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General best-trends observed during a decade of traveling for ballet, including performances on all continents minus Antarctica, eg, the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia. No worries, as I’ll stick to generalities.

* Historical Petipa-era reconstructions galore! - from the Berlin Ratmansky Bayadere, to his Zurich Swan Lake, to his Beauty & Harlequinade In NY. Even his very own The Seasons for ABT continued the evocation of Tsarist aesthetics (in steps). I also attended the latter Vikharev premieres, most notably Raymonda in Milan.

Kudos too to Paloma Herrera’s newish directorship of the Colon in Buenos Aires...and a special honor to Mme Tatiana Leskova’s guidance of recent revival of Les Sylphides in Rio’s Teatro Municipal. (May they survive current challenges.)

* Witnessing first-hand Asia’s love for ballet. The Korean Natl Ballet and Universal Ballet’s - both seen in Seoul - spotlight the nation’s commitment to classical excellence. Also loved witnessing the passion of Japanese ballet fans at the last Tokyo Quadrennial Ballet Festival!

* Last but not least: Ballets in Cinemas!

Thanks for the memories. Vive le Ballet!

I’ll ignore the few lowlights.

Edited January 1 by JeannetteAdding Asian highlights

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April 2018. Attending the first ballet evening produced in the wake of Hurricane Maria (which ravaged our island in Sept 2017), at the Centro Bellas Artes. San Juan: Ballets de San Juan in three new classical works, including a fascinating Carmen set in a sugar mill.

the nurturing and flowering of young talent at both the RB and ENB - what an absolute joy this has been

the emergence of Anna Rose O'Sullivan who I have followed before and throughout the decade (she was the Young British Dancer of the Year in 2010)

ENB's Lest We Forget programme in 2014 and 2018

the return of Anastasia to the RB's rep.

the growth of Cinema Relays and the introduction of World Ballet Day and other Live Relays such as Insights and Rehearsals

ENB's new HQ - achieved from conception to reality in 5 years and absolutely amazing

watching the RB and ENB dance abroad (a very personal thing but it's great to see how different audiences react to companies and dancers one knows so well)

the increased use of social media to render the ballet world more accessible to its interested audience and beyond

Vadim Muntagirov in 2010, 2011, 2012,2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 - a decade of dancing which has been extraordinarily special; I feel very privileged to have been around to watch Vadim's development and experience his supreme artistry.

WORST aspects:

too much over-hyped modern work with 'vanity-project'/unnecessarily extravagant designs and costumes

the ROH website which is still not meeting the needs of the audience or would-be audience

the apparent need of the ROH to hike its prices beyond the means of many avid ballet fans

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A decade ago I had only ever seen one ballet - a Nutcracker, in Nottingham, when I was about ten. I'd have been completely happy never to have never ever seen another ballet as long as I lived. And then my daughter started dancing and so, in summer 2014, I took her to see ENB Romeo and Juliet in the round and it changed everything. I can't remember who danced that Saturday matinee but I was in floods by the end (to her embarrassment).

Five and a half years later we've been to the ROH as much as money, distance and her schedule allows (booked for five times this season) attended most live screenings, seen a variety of mixed bills, galas and full length ballets both classical and modern. This Christmas we saw Anna Rose O Sullivan debut in Coppelia, Northern Ballet's fabulous Cinderella and will be at their gala on Sat - and I've watched her twice at National Youth Ballet.

Maybe her dedication and love for ballet would have won me round eventually, but the beauty, spectacle and emotion of that first Romeo and Juliet changed my view of ballet for ever, and that makes it the highlight of the decade for me.

I'm far too uncritical a viewer to have a lowlight!

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My first highlights were in 2011 - a Cuban National Ballet Nutcracker and a mixed programme from BRB of Checkmate, Symphonic Variations and Pineapple Poll at Sadlers Wells. I also appreciated their revivals of Daphnis and Chloe and of Miracle in the Gorbals this decade.

2013 was a big year for great performances for me. I was entranced by an ENB Swan Lake - the leads were Klimentova and Muntagirov. Then in the autumn I bought a ticket on a whim for Acosta’s new Don Q and suddenly I was back into going to the ROH after a gap of about 10 years! I haven’t stopped since. Acosta’s farewell La Fille was a great evening which lingers in my memory.

Recent revivals that have brought me great pleasure include The Firebird (Magri), Enigma Variations, Les Patineurs.

Best new ballet for me was Broken Wings (ENB). In fact their whole programme of women choreographers last Spring was good.

I am not the greatest Macmillan fan, but the Sambe/O’Sullivan Romeo and Juliet was great and I have enjoyed Manon performed by Nunez and Bolle. I recently enjoyed Concerto and also liked the ENB Song of the Earth a few years back. BUT....

This brings me to my lowlight - I know this is controversial - because it’s Mayerling! I first saw it in the late seventies and hated it, but decided to give it another go in 2018. It turned out my opinion hadn’t altered!

Overall, I am very grateful to all the great dancers I have seen, and my daughters for keeping me company on many but not all these occasions. It has been a fun decade of dance watching.

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Tonight's news that Cathy Marston has a second premiere with San Francisco Ballet in March this year serves to remind me that watching her reputation grow as an internationally-acclaimed choreographer has been a highlight of this past decade for me. At its start she was still Director of the small company in Bern that I was delighted to see twice out there and in each of its visits to the Linbury in the ROH. Her tenure there ended in 2013, after which she went on to develop a growing reputation within Europe in Germany and Denmark, and later in North America, starting with San Francisco Ballet. In the UK, within the decade, she created Jane Eyre and Victoria for Northern Ballet and the award-winning The Suit for Ballet Black. Next month will see a long-awaited main stage premiere on the ROH main stage - The Cellist, based on Jacqueline Du Pre, followed a month later by Mrs Robinson in San Francisco. I could bang on indefinitely about her, but will leave things there and allow her achievements to speak for themselves.

On the downside, but with some inevitability, I note with regret the end of the stage careers of Zenaida Yanowsky and Begoña Cao - in my eyes, two remarkable dance actresses.

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RB The Winter's Tale - the first ballet I ever saw being created behind the scenes - and that includes the tree in Act 2

Vadim Muntagirov's debut in Swan Lake with the ENB

Daria Klimentova's final performance with the ENB - Romeo and Juliet with Vadim

Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell in the Sleeping Beauty

Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell in the Nutcracker (Clara and Peter), and Manon

Zenaida Yanowsky's final Manon with Roberto Bolle

Marianela Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov in RB Swan Lake and Don Quixote

Marianela Nunez and Roberto Bolle in Manon

RB Hayward/ Corrales / Sambe / Hay / Ball - Romeo and Juliet cast

Thiago Soares in Mayerling

Matthew Ball debut as Rudolf in Mayerling

Thiago Soares and Marianela Nunez in Onegin

Following the RB tours in Madrid and Tokyo and getting to know the dancers

William Bracewell as Siegfried in RB Swan Lake in Madrid - first time I ever saw him dance a lead role

Gary Avis - in anything. A sheer delight to see his characterisations.

Anna-Rose O'Sullivan's debut as Aurora in the Sleeping Beauty

William Bracewell as Franz in Coppelia

The overall rise in standard of the RB company. Fantastic depth of talent now. I've changed my mind about some ballets which I used to find a little dull because of the astonishing strength in depth of the company - there's always someone to watch

Lowlights

Wayne McGregor - everything except Woolf Works

The RB's "modern" Triple Bills - special shout out for Corybantic Games in this category as well as all WMcG

Booking to see Matthew Ball 3 times in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and his being injured on every occasion

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Bolshoi - tour2010 crowned by the Vasiliev/Osipova Don Q. I will always be grateful to them for reviving my interest in ballet.

highlights:

RoyalBallet - NataliaOsipovajoinsfor 2013/14 season. Selfish I know but I was so happy that I could see her RB in London instead of having to wait for the intermittent Bolshoi tours and then not being certain about casting until the last minute. RB are to be commended for their advance casting. I have been to so many performances now and seen many productions that I had not seen before. It’s been a fantastic journey. Apart from Osipova’s Giselles, I will remember the great Mayerling with Watson, Osipova, Haywood, zanowksy etc a once in a lifetime performance I am sure. Also I have been able to follow the development of so many talented young RB dancers over this time - how fortunate the RB is and due to KOH careful management. I Look forward to many more exciting developments.

Mikhailovsky - tour 2013 wonderful Giselles, Don Q and the rarely/never seen in the UK Laurencia. An opportunity to see some great dancers.

BostonBallet - tour 2013 Faun and Serenade

MariinskyBallet - 2014 (50th UK season) lots of interesting programming some great triple bills, including Ratmansky’s DSCH and R & J with Vishneva and Shklyarov. Also Lopatkina in anything.

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My absolute highlight of the last decade was Fernanda Oliveira repeating her incomparable Giselle in the Mary Skeaping production (ENB) in 2010, having completely blown me away when I first saw her rehearsing and performing the role in 2005.It was hugely disappointing that she was injured in 2017 and therefore unable to perform the role that year.However, it did lead to my other main highlight of the decade which was the sublime guest performances of Jurgita Dronina in the role, leading to her becoming a permanent member of English National Ballet.Since then, everything she has performed with the company has been a highlight for me, most especially her incandescent Juliet in 2017 and her heartbreaking Manon in 2019.

My other highlights are in chronological order:

Yurie Shimomura and Dai Sasaki in the Mary Skeaping production of “Giselle” for Japan Ballet Association in 2012.Two wonderful dancers completely immersing themselves in a production new to them and giving a magical performance of it.

The glorious dancing of the ladies of English National Ballet in Act IV of “Swan Lake” at the London Coliseum during the wonderful Olympic summer of 2012, a fitting tribute to the outgoing artistic team.

Elena Glurdjidze’s stunning performances as Raymonda in Act III, as part of the Nureyev Tribute by ENB in 2013.

Daria Klimentova’s farewell performance as Juliet in 2014 with Vadim Muntagirov as Romeo.Anything Muntagirov does is always a highlight but this was especially so.It has been such a privilege to watch him develop over the decade from the shy 18-year-old in the studio (with the formidable technique!) to the international superstar and I always remember with affection his filmed interview for the Emerging Dancer competition in which he stated that the most important thing for him was to be a nice person – which he genuinely is!

Cesar Corrales and Jia Zhang in Petit’s “Le jeune homme et la Mort” in 2018, which turned out to be Corrales’s last performances with ENB – electrifying!

Katja Khaniukova and Irek Mukhamedov in “Broken Wings” by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, performed with ENB in 2019.This is a ballet I could watch forever, especially with the charismatic performances of these two wonderful artists.

Cesar Corrales and Francesca Hayward as Romeo and Juliet with the Royal Ballet in 2019.Possibly the most heartbreaking performance I have seen of MacMillan’s ballet in the forty+ years I have been watching it!

My lowest lowlight:“McGregor + Mugler” at the Coliseum in 2019 – what a complete waste of the dancers’ formidable talents!!!

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After a gap of many years I returned to ballet at the ROH just in time to see Cojocaru/Kobborg in,Sylphide- - and Mayerling - definitely highlights. Ferri/Bonelli in Marguerite,and Armand. The Winters Tale,with Watson, thankfully on DVD. The superb triple bill of Firebird, Month in the Country, Symphony in C, also the triple with Patineurs. Seeing all four casts of Mayerling during the previous,run and being fascinated that each Watson, Bonelli, McCrae and Soares bought something different and personal,to the,role. James Hay as Lescaut. The MacMillan celebrations with RB, BRB Scottish ballet etc.

Lows are Twyla Tharp, McGregor ( WW excluded), Bernstein triple, any ballet that employs extravagant sets, lighting, projections,etc that I find distract me from the dance, which is what I pay to see. (Already getting nervous about the Dante Project)